Circular knitting sock machines are commercial available and use a system of needles and yarn feeders to knit a sock in a tubular shape. Needles are arranged in a circle and may be sequentially actuated, whereby stitches may be sequentially added in a circle to add rows of stiches to the tube of a sock. If every needle in the circle adds a stitch, then a full circle of stiches is formed and adds a full circular row to the tube.
It is known to provide additional shapes to a sock, such as angles and pockets, including in the heel and toe areas, by actuating only certain groups of needles in the circle of a circular knitting machine. The needles that are actuated add a stitch, while those needles that are not actuated do not add stitches, thereby adding partial rows only on the side of the sock that is actuated. For example, if a heel is being added, then only the part of the circle that makes up the heel is actuated (so that rows of stitches are added only on that side, while the remainder of the sock remains the same length. Since the machine knots only on one side of the sock, extra material is added on that side to create a bend. This process adds extra material in a portion of the sock to increase is length, thereby forming a heel.
An anomaly in the stitching pattern occurs every time a partial row is added. These odd-stitches create a line in the sock, known as a “gore.” A standard gore occurs in a straight line, with one gore typically located in the heel of a sock, and another gore typically located in the toe of the sock.
A typical toe gore occurs in a straight line along corners of a toe region of a sock. Use of such as gore is the means by which a knotting machine joins corner material of the sock and closes its edge. The gore closure allows a sock toe to have a curved shaped instead of a squared-off appearance, and also prevents excess material in edges of the sock, thereby enhancing comfort of the wearer.
A more complicated pattern occurs when a Y-shaped gore is formed—whether at a heel or toe of a sock. A Y-shaped gore line provides additional room by giving an added dimension of depth. When provided at a toe of a sock, a Y-shaped gore allows a knitter to decrease a horizontal dimension of the toe while permitting increased expansion to accommodate expansion along toes of a wearer. Use of Y-shaped gores along heel and toe portions of socks are disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 8,418,507.
Whether straight or Y-shaped gores are used along toe portions of socks, the resulting socks embody substantially envelope-shaped toe portions to fit a wearer's forefoot. The front curve of the wearer's toe digits is therefore accommodated only by stretching of knitted fabric, which exerts consistent pressure on the wearer's toes. It would be desirable to provide socks that confer greater comfort to a wearer with reduction of pressure along the wearer's toes while avoiding excess material along sock edges.